Truffle Trouble

 An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 10

Author:    Amanda Flower

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    978

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

March 31, 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summer is finally upon the village of Harvest, Ohio, nestled in picturesque Amish country, and folks are abuzz over their very own Bailey King's upcoming June wedding.  The Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV's Bailey's Amish Sweets is marrying Holmes County Sheriff Aiden Brody.  To sweeten the occasion will be a scrumptious giant chocolate truffle wedding cake, made especially for the happy couple by Bailey's New York City mentor, Jean Pierre.  Other than the risk of the ring bearer, Jethro the pig, taking a bite out of the confection, what could go wrong?

As it turns out, a food-related disaster does befall the day.  But with Bailey in the mix, it's nothing so pedestrian as a peckish pig.  At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d'oeuvres.  Cafe owner and new caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, is pegged by police as the number one suspect.  Even more incriminating, the victim is one of Darcy's ex-boyfriends.

Still, Bailey is friends with Darcy, and she's certain the young woman is innocent.  Even before the first dance with her new husband, Bailey's on the case.  Can she help solve it in time for her honeymoon -- or will a killer try to end her happily ever after before it's even begun...?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King moved to Harvest, Ohio to help her grandmother in her Amish sweets shop following her grandfather's death.  Having been a chocolatier in New York City, she's since then built the shop up, managed to gain a television show, and opened a factory to product more hand-made candies to sell around the world.  

She's also fallen in love with Aiden Brody, the new sheriff of Holmes County.  They've finally come to their wedding day, and she's been convinced (once again) by Margo that adding a wine tasting would be good for the town.  As long as it's separate from the celebration, due to her respect for the Amish, Bailey is fine with it

Unfortunately, there's some drama when Bailey discovers that one of the vineyard owners is an ex-boyfriend of the Darcy Woodin, who is catering the big event.  Things go from bad to worse when he is found dead in Bailey's kitchen, apparently poisoned by a tart Darcy made.  Now the woman is about to be arrested for murder.

Newly married and wanting to start her life with Aiden, Bailey knows that she needs to do a little sleuthing if she is ever going to get a honeymoon and some peace and quiet.  But when she starts digging, there are secrets from the past that come to the surface, and she's not going anywhere until she sorts them out...

This is the tenth book in the series and I have read them all.  The characters seem to come to life for me every time I visit Harvest.  I've grown fond of Bailey, her grandmother, and many of the others.  This book is no different.  While pulled into the story, you want to see Bailey finally hitched and happy.  She gets hitched, but the happy part will have to come later.

Bailey wants to know who wanted the young man dead.  Did Darcy really have reason to kill him?  Bailey doesn't think so, even if the evidence is pointing in that direction.  When things start heating up, Bailey begins to see through the lies.  However, her grandmother has a health issue that Bailey can't and won't ignore.  Watching her put the pieces together while taking care of her ailing grandmother as best she can -- the reasons will become clear in the book -- Bailey is at her wits' end and hoping to figure it all out sooner rather than later.  Even Jethro's antics can't distract her this time, and that's saying something.

When the ending comes, it's all rather sad, but there is no excuse for murder no matter the reason.  I loved the book, the descriptions of everything around, and the heartfelt warmness of Bailey and her family.  I can't wait to visit them again.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NettGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Truffle-Trouble-Amish-Candy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FGRZ3H9K/ref=

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8185411498

More on Amanda Flower's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Gingerbread Danger (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Amanda Flower

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496743756

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

October 22, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amish candy shop owner and star of TV's Bailey's Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about.  She's happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio -- just before Christmas!  Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin...

With the help of local community organizer Margot Rawlings, Harvest will have a Candy Land themed Christmas on the village square -- featuring Bailey's recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men.  When the big day comes, everything is going well -- until bitter news arrives.  One of Bailey's Amish friends has been killed in an apparent accident just outside the candy factory.  Aiden is promptly on the case -- with more than a little input from Bailey...

Together, they soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community.  Still, Bailey is determined to find the perpetrator.  If she can't cut out the killer from the rest of the suspects, her gingerbread men won't be the only ones in danger of disappearing...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King moved from New York to Harvest, Ohio to help her Amish grandmother run the family candy shop after her grandfather passed away.  Since then, she's gained friends both Amish and Englisch, and not only is the candy shop thriving, there's enough to open a candy factory as well, which Bailey hopes to make a success.  She's also recently engaged to Aiden Brody, the county sheriff, which makes all things perfect for her.

At least until her parents arrive for Christmas.  Disappointed that she chose culinary school over college; she thinks they're unhappy with her.  Especially since her mother Susan is a perfectionist and expects everyone and everything to be on schedule.  But with Bailey's life, it's nearly impossible to do so.  

At this time of the year, town organizer Margot Rawlings also expects Bailey's help in her life-sized game of Candy Land for locals and tourists alike.  How can she spread herself any thinner?  Don't ask.  At the factory, a young employee is killed, and Bailey is determined to find out who killed the person and why.  Then there's the issue that her mother has done something behind her back that makes Bailey even more frustrated (if possible), and could lead to even more tension between the family...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read and loved them all.  There is always something going on that keeps you interested throughout.  Not to mention (but I will) that Juliet, Aiden's mother, keeps foisting her pet pig on Bailey at every opportunity.  At least Bailey's used to it, right?  Also, there are break-ins around town that has Bailey worrying about her grandmother being alone.  So much going on that I won't even get into the details, which are plentiful.

There are clues throughout that lead to what is happening, but not clearly the why.  We are given that toward the end, and that is fine with me, as I enjoyed reading the story very much and was in no hurry to finish.  The characters are believable and full of personality, even Jethro the pig.  We are given a bit of insight into Bailey's life with her parents, whom have been somewhat secondary characters and are in the story much more this time around.  

In the end, when the killer is revealed and it all begins to come together, the climax is interesting and at least I was right in one area, which pleased me.  I loved how everything turned out and felt that once again, Ms. Flower has given us a pleasant way to spend a day or two journeying back to Harvest-- especially at Christmas!  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Gingerbread-Danger-Amish-Candy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CTDK54R1/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6655367392

More on Amanda Flower's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Blueberry Blunder (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Amanda Flower

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496734631

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

May 23, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bailey King, star of TV's Bailey's Amish Sweets, is building her dream candy factory in Harvest, Ohio.  But no sooner is the frame of the new building up than she finds the dead body of a surly contractor who has a long list of enemies -- including people in the Amish community.  To add to the drama, Bailey is being filmed by a crew for her upcoming show.

When Bailey's TV producer pitched a reality show about building the factory, Bailey was shocked the network picked it up.  She's not shocked that many of the Amish working on the jobsite refuse to be on camera.  However, local community organizer Margot Rawlings is ecstatic -- because the filming coincides with Harvest's First Annual Blueberry Bash.  Margot believes the media attention will make Harvest the most popular destination in Holmes County.  But now, the county may become known for all the wrong reasons...

Bailey will have to sift through a crowd of angry villagers and thousands of blueberries to solve the murder, save her new venture, and protect her Amish friends.  At the same time, she and her longtime boyfriend, Aiden Brody, are making big decisions about their future together -- a future that may be in jeopardy if Bailey is the next pick on a killer's list...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King moved to Harvest, Ohio, to help her grandmother run her candy store after her grandfather died.  So far, things have been going well, and Bailey even has her own television show.  Everything is going so well, in fact, that Bailey is now building a candy factory not too far away.  The framing is up, and it's on to the next stage -- or it would be if her contractor wasn't trying to get more money out of her.  When she refuses, he also refuses to work, leading to an altercation between the two.  When he's found dead up on the scaffolding, Sheriff Marshall is looking at her as a suspect.  She's not having any of it, and is determined to find the killer so she can get on with her life.  Unfortunately, her life is already turned upside down: she's got a film crew following her who seem more interested in the murder than the factory, the Blueberry Bash that's in full swing, and her cousin Charlotte, who is preparing for her own wedding to Deputy Luke Little and meeting his parents for the first time.  Who said life was boring?  And let's not forget Jethro the pig, who gets into his own situations...

I have always loved this series.  It's one of the most delightful ones out there, and the plots are interesting enough to keep you reading straight through.  Of course, we have a murder early on, and of course, Bailey is once again trying to solve it.  With her cousin Charlotte helping her along the way (to the natural displeasure of Charlotte's fiancé), they try and avoid the film crew while looking for clues -- and sometimes meeting with unpleasant people.

This time it goes into the heart of the Amish people, and there are those who would rather not talk to the duo, including Charlotte's parents (read the book to find out why).  Bailey's boyfriend Aiden is back in town as a newly-minted PI and he's got a case of his own to figure out -- will it connect back to Bailey's, or not matter at all?

When the ending comes it leaves us with a warm feeling inside; the killer is caught (of course), and everything goes back to normal (as much as it can) with quite a surprise to give us.  Again, I love this series and eagerly await the next book.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Blueberry-Blunder-Amish-Candy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BFC5DZQ1/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767749754

More on Amanda Flower's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Peanut Butter Panic (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Amanda Flower

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496734617

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

August 23, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanksgiving is Bailey King's busiest holiday weekend.  This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey's candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio's first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration.  Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people -- Amish and English alike -- the event's organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed...until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.

Zara's reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community.  So no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner.  That should have been the day's biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he's eaten and dies on the spot.

Now, Bailey's desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal.  With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King, along with her Amish grandmother, owns a candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, in Harvest, Ohio.  Bailey is a chocolatier who left New York City to help care for her ailing grandfather before he died.  She also has a television show that showcases her talents, and her life is full.  But right now she's trying to help get ready for the weekend after Thanksgiving, when her shop will be full of tourists looking to purchase sweets for their families and friends.  But when Margot Rawlings, the town's best organizer of events, asks her to help with the Thanksgiving feast, she can't refuse.  Especially when she learns the reason -- Margot's mother is coming.  Margot, along with most of the town, is terrified of Zara Bevan, a harsh judge who retired and moved to Florida.  Zara is hated in Harvest, so neither Margot nor anyone else knows why she's coming.

But when she arrives, the reason becomes plainly clear -- she's attended by a man younger than her daughter, Blaze Smith.  But when she announces to everyone that she's marrying Blaze, mouths hang open and people sit stunned...all except Blaze, who has an allergic reaction to something and drops dead at the table.  When it's discovered that Blaze was murdered, Margot asks for Bailey's help in proving her innocence.  Stranger still, Zara also asks Bailey to prove her daughter innocent, even though the two detest and don't want anything to do with each other.  All Bailey can do it accept it.

But when Bailey's boyfriend Aiden Brody shows up, it's soon apparent he's not just there to see Bailey.  As an employee of the BCI, he's there to investigate the death along with local law enforcement.  While he wants Bailey to allow the police to handle it, he knows deep down she won't, and Bailey has every plan to take down a killer...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all.  While I love this series, I must say that I love this book more than the last.  There was plenty of action between both the Amish and the Englisch, with both pointing fingers at the other side.  And Bailey has more on her plate this time than usual, with wanting to help her grandmother before the woman wears herself out completely, and decide just exactly where her and Aiden's relationship is going.  But it all takes a back seat to solving the murder, and when it all comes together, it's because of a strange event and a clue that might never have ordinarily been found.

I love the characters in this one, including the addition of Leon, who though young, makes you want to put an arm around him and bring him into your home to live.  I felt that he's lost in more ways than one, and I hope that in future books we find him coming into a better life.  I also thought it was a hoot about our little pot-bellied pig friend Jethro being a celebrity on his own, and even as a subplot it was fun to read.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, I had a feeling all along, but I wanted to see how it played out.  Bailey is up to her usual sleuthing best, and she puts it together nicely and while it left shocks all around, I felt that it was handled realistically and well.  The author is very good at setting scenes and putting the clues out there, and bringing everything together just as it should be.  

All in all, I did enjoy the ending and like how it gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Peanut-Butter-Panic-Amish-Mystery/dp/1496734610/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4729572943

More on Amanda Flower's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Lemon Drop Dead (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #7)

Author:  Amanda Flower

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496722041

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$5.99; $5.68 Amazon

April 27, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although baby showers aren't an Amish tradition, Bailey King wants to celebrate Emily Keim's forthcoming bundle of joy.  It's the least she can do for her hardworking assistant at Swissmen Sweets, especially with Emily being estranged from her siblings.  Everyone in Harvest, Ohio has gathered at the town gazebo -- decked out in lemon-themed décor to add some of Emily's favorite flavor to the festivities -- including Juliet Brook, Jethro the Pig, and in a last-minute invite, Emily's sister Esther Esh.

But Esther isn't the only surprise guest.  A mysterious Amish woman confronts Emily claiming to know about her secret shame -- the child she had as a teenager who was given up for adoption.  The stranger vanishes before Bailey could find out who she was and if she knew what happened to Emily's first baby.  Later that evening, the woman reappears -- dead in Esh Family Pretzels, with a threatening letter written by Esther found on her body.

Emily knows her sister is not a murderer and convinces Bailey to help clear Ester's name and put the squeeze on the real killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King works at her grandmother's candy shop. Swissmen Sweets, along with having her own television show in New York that she tapes several times a year.  Her employee Emily Keim is ready to have a baby, and people want to throw her a shower.  While Emily agrees to it, Bailey's other employee, her grandmother's young cousin Charlotte, wants to be the one to do it.  So all Bailey has to do is show up and enjoy...that is, until an older woman shows up and wants to reunite Emily with her first child that she had given up for adoption.

Stunned, Bailey doesn't know what to do, but the woman disappears as quickly as she arrived.  It isn't until later that night when Bailey is locking up the shop that someone is pounding on her door.  It turns out to be Esther Esh, Emily's sister, and a woman who hates Bailey.  But now she's asking for help, and Bailey can't refuse -- it turns out that the woman is dead in Esther's shop, and when the clues all lead to Esther being the murderer, Emily wants her to find the real killer.  But Bailey finds more than she bargained for, and what she finds could rock the world of both Englisch and Amish alike...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I certainly hope it won't be the last.  We are once again in Harvest, Ohio with Englischer Bailey King and her Amish relatives, and the story line continues with more than one person having to make a life decision.  Then a woman shows up claiming that she has Emily's first child and wants to reunite them, but is murdered before she can do so.  It is by chance that Bailey stumbles upon the child, and must make a decision of her own.

While I am not going to tell you who or what the decisions are that need to be made, I will tell you that I was gladdened by most but disappointed in another.  I do hope that it won't change future books, as I liked the way things were turning out (you will have to read the book to see what I am talking about, and hopefully can decipher it).

There are plenty of twist and turns in the book, and enough action to keep one interested in reading it in one sitting.  I enjoyed all (mostly, considering what I've mentioned above; but that is my own opinion and shouldn't be relevant to whether you read the book or not) and I will definitely read the next in this series, and anyone who's following this series should, too.  When the ending comes and everything is resolved, it is a bit of a surprise, but not unexpected, and things are all as they should be.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Drop-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496722043/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3861137592

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Candy Cane Crime (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #5.5)

Author:  Amanda Flower

Genre:    Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:  B08C9DQJVV

Kensington Publishing

84 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

October 27, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Christmas is coming all too quickly for Harvest, Ohio's famous chocolatier, Bailey King.  Thanks to her new cable TV show, her shop has more candy orders than she can handle this holiday season.  Fortunately, her beloved Cousin Charlotte is happy to take the Candy Cane Exchange off Bailey's to-do list.  After all, Charlotte has come to Harvest from her conservative home district to find her future outside of her family's influence.  What better way than by taking on the Englisch task of pairing the sweet notes everyone is exchanging with a peppermint treat, just in time for Christmas Eve delivery?  But when Charlotte discovers some of those delicious missives are for her, suddenly she's staking out the festive postbox, hoping to catch her secret admirer in his intriguing tracks...

When Charlotte sees something underhanded going on beneath the merrymaking, she enlists the help of Sheriff Deputy Luke Little to find out if her unknown correspondent is none other than the town's biggest suspect.  And the surprising truth about her suitor's identity has her contemplating leaving her Amish roots behind forever...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Christmas is coming fast for everyone in Harvest, Ohio, where the Englischers live peacefully amongst the Amish -- at least for the most part.  But no one can dispute that Margo Rawlings wants the town to be the best, even if it means hounding poor Bailey with more work.  But while Bailey steadfastly refuses to accept anything, telling Margot she has her hands full as it it, Charlotte finds herself offering to attach the notes to the candy canes so the volunteers can deliver them on Christmas Eve to their recipients.

The notes, which are meant to be small reminders of love or affection for someone else, are attached to the canes and given to them.  People will put a dollar for the cane along with a note so the town can afford better costumes for the Living Nativity.  Charlotte doesn't think it will be too much trouble for her, but when she finds a note addressed to herself, she's stunned and excited at the same time.  She can't imagine anyone wanting to be with her, since she left her own district to live with her Cousin Clara, Bailey's grandmother.  At twenty-two and still unbaptized, she hasn't made the decision whether she wants to join the Amish faith or not.  This has caused a rift in her family, and even with some of the local Amish.  But now she has another problem:  who is the man who is sending her notes?

When Bailey's neighbor Abel Esh seems to know what's going on, Charlotte is disturbed and wonders if he's sending them as a prank to hurt her feelings.  Determined to find out the truth, Charlotte, along with an elderly Amish man named Uriah who has a secret of his own, sets out to 'stakeout' the box where people are putting the money and notes for her to collect.  But what she finds out isn't what she expects, and it could change her life forever...

This novella in the series is delightful in the fact that it's told from Charlotte's point of view.  She takes center stage and does an admirable job of narrating the story.  While it's not a murder mystery, there is definitely a mystery (or two) within, and Charlotte is trying to find out the truth of who is sending her notes of affection.

While this book can be read in an hour or two, it's a welcome relief from the world around us, and brings us closer to the holidays with a nice tale of how Harvest decorates for the Christmas season and Charlotte coming closer to making a decision about the direction her life will be going in the future.  It also shows us a dark side of one of the inhabitants; but I can't say we didn't expect anything less of that person anyway.

In the end, everything comes together in a lovely Christmas package and it's a wonderful addition to the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Cane-Crime-Amish-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08C9DQJVV/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3578687001

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Marshmallow Malice (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496722034; [97819773696351]
Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]
336 Pages
$7.99; [$24.99]; $6.89 Amazon
May 26, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With Juliet Brody and Reverend Brook tying the knot in Ohio's Amish Country's most anticipated nuptials of the year, Bailey King is determined to do everything in her power to make the event a sweet success.  Except midsummer heat waves and outdoor ceremonies don't mix, and an exasperated Bailey soon finds herself struggling to fulfill bridesmaid duties and keep her stunning marshmallow-frosted wedding cake from becoming a gooey disaster.  Then much to everyone's shock, the entire ceremony crumbles when a guest drops dead, and the cause isn't sunstroke...

Turns out, the uninvited victim came equipped with lots of dirt on the devout reverend's hidden past.  As Reverend Brook tops the murder suspect list on what should have been the happiest day of his life, Bailey and her sheriff's deputy boyfriend vow to clear his name.  Can the duo boil down a series of baffling clues before Juliet considers her marriage a bad mistake -- or the killer whips up another deadly surprise?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

After her grandfather passed away, Bailey King, a top chocolatier in New York, moved to Harvest, Ohio to help run Swissmen Sweets, the candy shop her Amish grandmother, Clara, owns.  She has help from Clara's young cousin Charlotte, and Emily Keim, a young Amish woman that used to work next door.

At present she's the maid of honor in the wedding of Juliet Brody and the Reverend Simon Brook.  Bailey's boyfriend and Juliet's son, Aiden, is not only best man, but he's the deputy sheriff.  When a drunk woman shows up at the church just before the end of the ceremony, attempting to disrupt it, Aiden has his deputy remove her.  But during the reception, Bailey once again notices the reverend speaking with her away from other people.  When Bailey has an accident and goes home to change clothes, she sees the woman again being coaxed into a car with a man, but unfortunately, she can't get the license plate.

When the woman is later found murdered on the church steps -- again by Bailey -- she's naturally upset and wonders why this keeps happening.  But with her best friend Cass in town for the wedding, and vowing to keep Aiden informed, she's once again on the trail of a killer.  As if that weren't enough, she meets a woman and her daughter who both intimate to her that the daughter, Kayla, is going to marry Aiden.  Confused, Bailey vows not to confront Aiden about this and instead concentrates on helping Aiden, even if he doesn't want it.  But once again, will Bailey be able to corner a killer, or will she finally meet her maker?...

I must say that when I read the first book in the series I wasn't too enthralled with it.  But I will also say that each ensuing book has gotten better.  The characters have been fleshed out, and some of them have even become endearing -- and no, I'm not talking about Jethro the pig, even though he is kind of cute sometimes -- and they've come to grow on me.  I enjoy watching Bailey and Aiden's relationship grow, even as she becomes embroiled in his homicide investigations when she knows she shouldn't.  I do like Cass, who shows up often enough; she's a strong woman who knows what she wants and being Bailey's friend, she has her back and even, unfortunately, encourages her in her escapades.

The plot was very good, with few clues to the murderer, but then it hits you almost the same time as Bailey, even though you start putting things together a bit earlier than that.  The ending was done well, and it was all believable, right down to the fact that Bailey is finally discovering just how much she loves being in Harvest instead of Manhattan.

A very good book with lovely descriptions of the area around Amish country, and I will definitely continue on with this series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Malice-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496722035/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3372230766

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Toxic Toffee (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #4)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496722027
Kensington Publishing
286 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon
June 25, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bailey King's in New York wrapping up a six-week shoot on her first cable TV show, Bailey's Amish Sweets, when she gets a call from her Ohio town's resident busybody.  With Easter around the corner, Bailey's been recruited to create a giant toffee bunny for the weeklong springtime festival that will also feature live white rabbits.  But back home in Harvest, death becomes the main attraction when Stephen Raber keels over from an apparent heart attack -- with Bailey and Raber's pet bunny as witnesses.

Except it wasn't Raber's heart that suddenly gave out -- a lethal dose of lily of the valley was mixed into a tasty piece of toffee.  Who'd want to poison a jovial rabbit farmer who reminded Bailey of an Amish Santa Claus?  To solve the murder, she and her sheriff deputy boyfriend Aiden must uncover a twenty-year-old secret.  She'll need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep a healthy distance from toxic people, including one venomous killer...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King moved to Harvest, Ohio after her Amish grandfather passed away to help her grandmother Clara run Swissmen Sweets, the family candy shop.  Since she was a chocolatier in New York, she has the background and experience to do so.  Recent circumstances also resulted in her gaining a part-time television show on a food network, and she spends time in New York, bringing along Clara's young cousin Charlotte as part of the shoot.

After receiving a call from Margot Rawlings, the town's event coordinator, and when Bailey gets home, Margot is in a tizzy, wanting Bailey to create a giant toffee rabbit for the town square.  After she gets Bailey to agree, she thinks that will be the end of it.  But while Bailey is speaking with Margot, an Amish rabbit farmer named Stephen Raber drops dead in front of them.  Stephen was well loved by everyone in the Amish community, and even had Puff, one of the rabbits, as his own pet.  When Stephen's son Eli shows up at Bailey's home one night with Puff, she's wary of his presence, but he explains that his friend Daniel Keim, now married to Bailey's employee Emily, had told him that Bailey could help him find his father's killer.

He gives her a handful of threatening notes his father had been receiving, and tells her he doesn't trust the police but Daniel trusts her and that's all he needs to know.  He also leaves Puff with her, telling Bailey he can't care for her, and he is out the door.  When Bailey calls Aiden, he's upset, but understands, since he knows the Amish.  Now Bailey's stuck in the middle of a murder investigation once again, but this time it might be the last one...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I have to say that while I wasn't impressed with the first one, they've definitely improved and I've come to enjoy this series very much.  I like the fact that Bailey cares for the people around her, not just her grandmother, and wants everyone to find the happiness she's found in Harvest.  She's also still forming her relationship with Aiden; after a disastrous one in New York, she's trying to trust again, and decide if he's the right one.  She's also fending off questions from Aiden's flighty mother Juliet, who's already planning their wedding...which they've never even discussed.

When Raber dies, it's first believed a heart attack, but then Aiden tells her he was murdered, and how it was done.  Wondering who wanted the kindly farmer dead, Bailey can't find an answer.  Everyone in his community loved him, yet once she sees the notes she knows there was at least one person who wanted him gone.  It's an interesting mystery that takes the tiniest of clues to lead her to finding the killer, and it's done very well.

While I knew the identity of the murderer almost immediately, (as I've said before, I read a lot of mysteries), it was nicely done watching Bailey put all the clues together to finally come to the realization of whom the murderer was.  And when we discover the reason why Raber was killed, it was rather sad nevertheless.  But the ending gives us a nice surprise, and something to look forward to in the next book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Toffee-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496722027/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3366699459

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Premeditated Peppermint (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #3)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496706430; [9781977369611]
Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]
352 Pages
$7.99; [$22.99]; $4.74 Amazon
September 25, 2018

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Christmas is Bailey King's favorite time of year.  For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate.  But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother.  New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas.  Bailey's not about to let her beloved town -- and Swissmen Sweets -- be turned into a sound bite.  Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric's executive producer is found strangled to death -- and Eric's the prime suspect.

With Bailey's sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric's guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name...and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show.  Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn't who she seemed, Bailey's edging dangerously close to a killer who isn't looking to bring joy to the world -- or to Bailey -- this deadly Noel...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King left her job in New York city as a high-end chocolatier to return to Harvest, Ohio, after her grandfather died and help her grandmother run their chocolate shop.  Now she also has help from her grandmother Clara's young cousin, Charlotte, too.  Bailey's surprised when a film crew shows up at the shop unannounced, along with her ex-boyfriend, chef Eric Sharp, and more so when she soon discovers from the ebullient producer, Rocky Rivers, that they're there to film the shop and Bailey and Eric's reunion as a couple.

Except they aren't a couple.  And Bailey has no plans to film anything, regardless of Eric's promises to the producer.  But when Rocky asks for a private meeting with Bailey to discuss it the next morning, she agrees.  Still, she doesn't expect to find Rocky's body in the gazebo, strangled with a string of twinkle lights...or the fact that Eric is standing over the body, holding the end of the lights.  When Eric professes his innocence, she's inclined to believe him, even if Deputy Sheriff Aiden Brody doesn't.  So Bailey, along with the help of her newly-arrived best friend Cass, and a pet pig named Jethro, are vowing to get to the bottom of the mystery and find a killer who just might get away with murder after all...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that I like it much better than I did the first two.  Bailey is coming into her own, and I found the dialogue between Cass and everyone else to be the most humorous part of the book.  Her conversations with Bailey are the best part of the book.

As for the mystery, there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested, and with layers to Rocky that were peeled back one at a time until we found out the truth.  While I figured out the identity of the murderer early on, it still was fun to watch Bailey pick up the clues and put everything together.  Add in a little bit of intrigue to the mix, and it was a nice mystery altogether.

All in all, it gave us something to look forward to in the next book but without leaving us the dreaded cliffhanger, which I absolutely despise.  That in itself is a reason to keep reading this series, and I will definitely do so.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Premeditated-Peppermint-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496706439/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3334757115

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Murder, Served Simply (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery #3)

Author:  Isabella Alan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [MP 3]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451413659; [9781494561178]
Obsidian Mystery; [Tantor Audio]
343 Pages
$7.99; [$29.99], $4.99 Amazon
December 2, 2014

⭐⭐⭐

Angie's parents are visiting her in Rolling Brook, Ohio, for Christmas -- but unfortunately, her ex is joining them.  Luckily, Angie has no time to dwell on her romantic troubles as she prepares her store, Running Stitch, for the town's traditional progressive dinner, which features a sleigh ride that stops at each shop for a different course of the meal.

The meal ends with an Amish-themed Christmas play at the Swiss Valley Hotel and Barn.  But the performance is cut short when an actress falls to her death from the scaffolding.  Once the sheriff suspects foul play, tensions between the Amish and Englisch heat up, as do rivalries among the acting troupe.  Now Angie and her quilting circle must stitch together clues before they're the ones running for cover...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's nearing Christmas in Rolling Brook, Ohio, and Angie Braddock, who inherited her Aunt Eleanor's Amish quilting shop, is gearing up for her parents visit.  She's not happy that her mother has invited her ex-fiancé, Ryan, but there isn't anything she can do about it except vow not to spend any more time with him than she needs to.  It's also apparent Sheriff Mitchell isn't happy about Ryan being there, as his own relationship with Angie is starting to take shape.

On the night of the Amish progressive dinner, everyone is going to various places for a different course, and then at the end watching a play put on by an acting troupe.  Angie discovers that the lead actress - Eve Shetler - is former Amish and not everyone wants her there.  It's never more apparent than when she falls to her death from scaffolding, and the suspects range from the Amish to the Englisch.  Angie decides to do a little sleuthing herself since she met and liked Eve, even if everyone wants her to stay out of the investigation.  But somehow it's giving her more questions than answers, and the final one will make all the difference...

This is the third book in the series, and I think I liked it better than the first two.  While I really didn't think Angie had any real claim to investigate, I did like the idea of the progressive dinner, and merging Amish Christmases with Englisch ones seemed interesting in itself.  We got to learn more about Angie's parents which was a lot of fun, and her mother's idea of decorating a Christmas tree was unusual, to say the least.

I really didn't care for the fact that Angie was dodging Ryan instead of talking to him, but I guess it was what he deserved for deserting her at the altar, after all.  I would have expected her to develop a little bit of backbone with everything she's been through; but I didn't see that.  Still, I imagine she had her reasons for putting him off.

When we finally get into the mystery, which actually played second fiddle to Angie's non-visit and visit with her parents (read the book and you'll understand why I say that) I didn't feel that we were given enough on the murder itself; and while the clues were there, at the same time they actually weren't.  There was one huge red herring that turned out to not to have anything to do with it at all, actually.  So while I don't think this was a bad book, I do think it could have been given a little more detail on the mystery to solve.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Served-Simply-Amish-Mystery/dp/0451413652/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3331132281

More on Isabella Alan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/isabella-alan/

Murder, Simply Stitched (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery #2)

Author:  Isabella Alan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451413642
Berkley Obsidian Mystery
347 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
June 3, 2014

⭐⭐⭐

Angie is finding her niche as the new owner of her late aunt's quilt shop, Running Stitch.  But as the summer is winding down, so is business.  To bolster support for the shop, Angie decides to sell her quilts, including some of her aunt's most prized works, in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction.

The quilts promise to be a hit - but the gavel comes down on the lively event when Angie stumbles upon the body of township trustee Wanda Hunt behind a canning shed.  The cause of death: a poisoned blueberry fry pie from Rachel Miller's bakery table.  Now Angie's closest friend is a murder suspect.  With Angie taking the lead, she and the other women of her aunt's quilting circle set out to patch together the clues and stop a killer set on shredding the simple peace of Rolling Brook.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Angie owns an Amish quilt shop, Running Stitch, even though she's not Amish.  It was left to her by her Amish aunt, and she's coming to be a part of the community, and making friends among the Amish.  She's excited to be having a few of her aunt's quilts up for auction in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction.  Her friend and business neighbor, Rachel Miller, is also selling baked goods from her bakery.  Rachel's husband Aaron is planning to open a factory for the pies, but not everyone is happy about it.

When Wanda Hunt, a town trustee, comes to Rachel's table she tells her that there's no way the factory will be approved and Aaron should have looked at the rules before he bought the land.  Rachel is upset, but refuses to involve herself in her husband's business, instead offering one of her fry pies to Wanda.  Later, while chasing her dog Oliver, Angie chases him through the auction grounds where she finds Wanda dead -- holding what's left of a blueberry fry pie.  Now, with Rachel in the hot seat, Angie vows to do whatever it takes to keep her friend from being unfairly accused of a crime -- even if she winds up in the sights of a killer...

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I did like it better than the first.  Although it still bothers me that Angie's snooping is too overt - by that I mean she just walks up to people and asks them questions without even trying to be subtle about it.  It's invasive and just a tad uncomfortable to read.  I find myself skimming over most of it, when I shouldn't have to do that, because I want to see what peoples' answers would be.  I would like to see Angie tone it down a bit when it comes to trying to get information out of people.  In real life, her actions would more than likely get her physically attacked by someone.

Other than that, it was nice to see the connections she's making in the community, and one especially that will bring her closer to the Amish.  I do like that her relationship with Sheriff Mitchell might be moving forward, as it's obvious they're both attracted to each other; although I do think that his ex-wife, while protective of her son, might be using him as a weapon against her husband to get him to do what she wants, and I really don't like that.

I also don't care much for Angie's mother.  She's deluded in her daughter's life and refuses to allow Angie to grow up and do what she feels as right.  Even from Dallas she's trying to run her life.  Angie just hasn't moved far enough away to get away from this woman.  I don't know how she dealt with her.  I wouldn't be able to - at least not for long.

The mystery itself was interesting, and there were plenty of characters who could have killed Wanda, even though there never seemed to be a motive strong enough until later in the book.  Once we had the motive, we pretty much knew how to narrow it down.  So, although not many clues, it was still done nicely.  All in all, even though it was an easy read and can be read in one night, I have to say that I really dislike it when the author leaves cliffhangers at the end.  However, I will read the next in the series, but if it follows the same formula for the ending, I won't pursue this any further.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Simply-Stitched-Amish-Mystery/dp/0451413644/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3266088651

More on Isabella Alan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/isabella-alan/

The Final Vow (A Living History Museum Mystery Book 3)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback
ISBN #:  9781097892341
Independently Published
270 Pages
$14.99 Amazon
October 4, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

Summer weddings at Barton Farm's picturesque church were standard procedure for museum director Kelsey Cambridge - until the Cherry Foundation, which supports the museum, ordered Kelsey to host her ex-husband's wedding on Farm grounds.  Ambitious wedding planner Vianna Pine is determined to make the bride's Civil War-themed wedding perfect.  But each time Vianna's vision threatens the integrity and safety of the Farm, Kelsey has to intervene.  And when she finds Vianna's dead body at the foot of the church steps, everyone's plans fall apart.  With both the wedding and Barton Farm at risk of being permanently shut down, Kelsey has to work hard to save her own happily ever after.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Kelsey Cambridge is the director of Barton Farms and is dedicated to preserving history.  Right now she's having to deal with a pushy wedding planner, Vianna Pine, who is planning the wedding of her ex-husband Eddie and his fianceé Krissie.  She's fighting Kelsey at every turn, who refuses to change anything about the farm to please Krissie - whom, she's told times over, gets what she wants.  Krissie's parents are wealthy, and she's their only child, so this is pretty much true.

What she's fighting about now is putting lights in the bell tower of the church, which Kelsey has told Vianna no since it's unstable up there.  But when Vianna's body is found below the church, and Kelsey sees someone running away, it's apparent it wasn't an accident.  Now both Eddie and Kelsey's friend Benji want Kelsey to prove their respective loves innocent, and unfortunately, she just might have to do so if she's going to save her job and her beloved farm....

I was torn between liking and hating this book.  I have always liked the history angle of the farm, but I absolutely cannot stand Krissie, who was worse than a bridezilla.  She was a blackmailer (yes), and if I were Kelsey, I wouldn't allow my child to spend a single minute in her company - and would have no hesitation in telling Eddie nor an attorney or judge of Krissie's 'hobby.'  Also, what kind of people threaten to take away a mother's child if she doesn't "toe the line" with them?  I honestly had a hard time getting through this book because of her.

When the characters aren't likable, it makes for a difficult read (unless said unlikable character is the murder victim).  Unfortunately, Krissie isn't.  But the mystery itself was done well with plenty of suspects, and I was surprised at the murderer, since there weren't any clues leading to the killer.  I would have at least liked to have something to look for, but they were practically non-existent. 

In the end, at least Kelsey is coming to an understanding of who she wants to be, which is a good thing, and it might help her become more human in the long run.  When the killer is discovered and everything is put together, one understands how unhinged people can become when they allow their pasts to stand in the way of their future - which is exactly what Kelsey has been doing all this time.

https://www.amazon.com/Final-Living-History-Museum-Mystery/dp/1097892344/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3199129081

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Murder, Plain and Simple (An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery)

Author:  Isabella Alan
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780451413635
Berkley Obsidian
368 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
September 3, 2013

⭐⭐⭐

With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn't exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brooke, but her aunt's quilting circle makes her feel at home as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch.

On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store's wares while the quilters stitch away.  But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom, the future of Running Stitch looks bleak.

With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culprit before the local sheriff can make an arrest.  Rolling Brook appears to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amizh community is as plain as it seems...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Angie Braddock recently left Dallas, Texas because her late aunt left her a quilting shop, Running Stitch, in the Amish town of Rolling Brook, Ohio.  Her Aunt Eleanor married an Amish man and gave up her Englisch ways to join their community, and now the shop was hers.  To tell the truth, Angie didn't mind leaving, considering after a seven-year relationship, her boyfriend broke it off, telling her he couldn't commit to marriage.  Now she's in a new place with new people and trying to find her way.

It's also apparent that the woodworker next door, Joseph Walker, doesn't want her there.  He's insistent the shop belongs to his family and he'll find the deed her aunt hid to prove it.  But Angie stands her ground - and the next morning when she enters the shop, accompanied by Danny Nicholson, a reporter, she finds the body of Joseph in her storeroom, killed by one of her tools.  Now she's under suspicion of murder, and since the sheriff won't let her off the hook, she's determined to find the killer on her own.  But asking questions could be detrimental to her health - permanently...

This is the first book in a series, and I really wanted to like it.  Although many of the characters seemed authentic, I didn't think that the town trustees were all Englischers when this is supposedly an Amish town.  How did that happen?  Maybe things like that don't bother others, but I'm a great believer in details, and it's details that I pay attention to.

I also didn't care for the 'nemesis' angle.  Why on earth would anyone open a quilt shop directly next door to one that is obviously popular?  For the sole reason of taking away all the customers and forcing the Amish in the quilt circle to choose sides?  Nope; not interested.  I much prefer series where someone isn't out to ruin the life of the protagonist.  So if this continues in the next book - or even plays a major role - then I will stop reading (although I do like to give at least three books before I make a decision, the nemesis thing really irritates me in books.)

Then there was the ending, which didn't make sense to me at all.  Things the murderer did just didn't seem like they made any sense, but I have hidden this in a spoiler, because even though this is an older book, others may not have read it yet, so if you haven't read the book, please don't read the spoiler below:

1) How did the killer know that a property deed would be hidden in a quilt? Is this where all the Amish keep their important papers? I seriously doubt it. Yet for some odd reason, the killer knew that the quilt must be the hiding place when no one else even thought of it. 2) Why did the murderer keep the deed at all? What good would it have done them? Were they going to just show up with it after someone else was convicted of the murder like it appeared out of nowhere? How would they explain that little detail? It would have made more sense if they had just left the deed in Joseph's hand for Angie to find. 3) Since when do Amish people sew their important papers into quilts? Why would her aunt do that in the first place? If she wanted Angie to have the shop, wouldn't it have made more sense to leave the deed with her attorney to prove the shop belonged to Angie? This didn't make any sense at all. Because of these things, I had a hard time believing the ending. No one who wanted to prove ownership would just hide the deed in a quilt and then not tell the heir where the deed was unless they were crazy or didn't want the heir to know. I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at this.

Unfortunately, because of the way things were explained, nothing Angie's Aunt Eleanor did made any sense to me.  As I stated, I will read the next in the series, but there's no saying at this point whether I will even finish that book or not.  Sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Plain-Simple-Amish-Mystery/dp/0451413636/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3197769016

More on Isabella Alan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/isabella-alan/

Kernel of Truth (A Popcorn Shop Mystery #1)

Author:  Kristi Abbott
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425280911
Berkley Publishing
278 Pages
$7.54; $7.99 Amazon
March 1, 2016

⭐⭐

Opening a gourmet popcorn shop was never on Rebecca Anderson's bucket list.  But after a failed marriage to a celebrity chef, she's ready for her life to open up and expand.  She has returned to her hometown of Grand Lake, Ohio, with her popcorn-loving poodle, Sprocket, to start a new business - naturally called POPS.  As a delicious bonus, Cordelia "Coco" Bittles, a close family friend who has always been like a grandmother to Rebecca, owns the chocolate shop next door, and the two are thinking of combining their businesses.

But when Coco's niece, Jessica, discovers her on the floor of her chocolate shop, those dreams go up in smoke.  The local sheriff thinks Coco was the victim of a robbery gone wrong, but Rebecca isn't so sure.  As suspects start popping up all over, Rebecca is determined to turn up the heat and bring the killer to justice in a jiffy!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Rebecca is making caramel topping one morning, she hears someone screaming and runs next door to find her friend Coco's niece Jessica.  When Rebecca investigates further, she sees that Coco is dead.  Now Rebecca wants to find who killed her friend, and why.  But doing so could put her in more danger than she realizes...

I really wanted to like this book, I really did.  It had a different premise and I liked that.  The first sentence should have been a precursor to the rest of the book.  But it wasn't.  I just didn't think much after that was believable.

First, this is a cozy mystery, and this woman swears like a sailor.  I know it doesn't bother some people, but I really don't care for cozies where the protagonist is throwing out cuss words like yesterday's trash.  Personal opinion, people.

I also didn't understand a popcorn shop that was open for breakfast.  Who buys popcorn for breakfast? What popcorn shop sells coffee?  They sell specialized popcorn and sodas.  That's pretty much it.  And if I found one that did sell coffee, I sure wouldn't eat there.  A substantial breakfast is so much better for you than a sweet popcorn bar.  I really can't imagine - unless there's no diners in this town - that it would be as popular as indicated.  Popcorn shops are specialized shops, not restaurants.  Then, have you ever eaten a popcorn ball?  They're nasty, sticky things and you're picking popcorn out of your teeth constantly.  I would have believed it if she sold specialized cones, tins, or bags of popcorn instead - because that's what popcorn shops sell. 

Then, when the rumor started that she killed Coco, this town was awfully quick to believe it.  I would hope that if it came down to it, they'd try her in another city, because she sure couldn't get a fair shake here.  What happened to innocent until proven guilty?  I guess if she hadn't done stupid things, it might have been easier on her, but since I didn't like her anyway - she was snarky and nasty - it really didn't matter.  Her husband probably didn't pay any attention to her because of the snark.  Who wants to spend time around someone like that?  I sure don't.

But the last was the animal cruelty.  I don't believe in it, and I certainly don't believe it's necessary in a cozy.  It wasn't necessary here.  There are several other ways that the scene could have been handled without the animal cruelty.  I will never read a book by an author who does this without a very good reason - and there wasn't one here.

In the end, we already knew who killed Coco practically from the beginning, and throughout the book it was proven time and again, so no surprise there.  Unfortunately, there just wasn't a lot for me to recommend this book.  I won't be reading this author again.  Sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Kernel-Truth-Popcorn-Shop-Mystery/dp/0425280918/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2980904923

More on Kristi Abbott's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/kristi-abbott/

Lethal Licorice (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #2)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496706416; 9781541468375
Kensington Publishing (Tantor Audio)
352 Pages
$6.47; $26.20; $5.99 Amazon
February 27, 2018

✮✮

Harvest, Ohio, is a long way from New York City, where Bailey King left a coveted job as a head chocolatier to take over Swissmen Sweets, her Amish grandparents' candy shop.  Now, while caring for her recenrly widowed grandmother, she plans to honor her grandfather's memory by entering the annual Amish Confectionery Competition.  But between lavender blueberry fudge and chocolate cherry ganache truffles, Bailey may have bitten off more than she can chew when the search for a missing pot-bellied pig turns up a body suffering from sugar overload - the fatal kind...

A candy maker from a neighboring town who wanted Englischer Bailey disqualified for being an outsider, Josephine Weaver died from an allergy to an essential licorice ingredient.  The suspects include:  Josephine's niece, a young woman going through her rumspringa, or running around time, and Bailey herself.  Now it falls to Bailey, who's sweet on the local sheriff's deputy, to clear their names and entice a killer with a cast-iron stomach for cold-blooded murder...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Bailey King has decided to stay in Harvest, Ohio, and help her grandmother run Swissmen Sweets, the candy shop her grandparents started.  She gave up a high-end job in Manhattan to do so, and was recently given the go ahead to stand in for her grandfather at an Amish candy competition.  But Josephine Weaver isn't happy about the decision, and has told Bailey she'll find a way to get her out.

Bailey also meets a young girl named Charlotte and discovers she's Josephine's niece.  Charlotte is in turmoil over staying or leaving the Amish faith, and Bailey finds her in the church playing the organ.  But the sound is off, and when they check, Charlotte finds the body of Josephine stuffed inside.

So now Charlotte is a suspect, and also Bailey because licorice was found in Josephine's pocket and the woman was allergic - licorice that has been stamped with the distinctive Swissmen Sweets logo.  In order to clear her name and that of Charlotte - whom she soon learns is a distant relative - Bailey will have to do a little sleuthing on her own...

First off, this book was slightly better than the first, but I still don't understand why the sheriff is in these books.  He's made no bones about the fact he doesn't like the Amish; and yet he's sheriff in an Amish community - and running unopposed for re-election.  Aiden says he doesn't want to run against him because it's wrong for a deputy to do that, but that's a crock.  Many deputies run against the sheriff in almost any community across the nation, so I don't buy that.  Yet the sheriff's superiors haven't noticed his attitude toward the Amish?  Or don't they care?

This book also makes the Amish look like bigoted jerks.  I’ve been around Amish people - a lot.  They don’t hate Englischers.  In fact, they deal with them quite nicely, as it is the Amish way to be decent to everyone (unless they have been slighted in some way).  It’s as if they don’t care that her grandfather died, they have no sympathy for her or the position her grandmother was put in.  Amish people accept the decisions made - yet they were unwilling to accept decisions by those in charge in this instance?  It didn’t ring true for me.

Following is a major spoiler of this book, as it contains major plot points, the reason for the murder, and a reference to an event in the previous book, so if you don't want to know these things, please don't read on.

The author contradicted herself when she said all Amish women have is their reputation and then in the last book has Emily have a baby out of wedlock. If that truly happened, she would be shunned by the community (including her friend Marisol) or hastily married to the man who impregnated her. It could not have been kept secret, as any man interested in making her his wife - she is 20 now - would have to be told the truth. How long can she stay single and no one wonders why? Then, the explanation for the murder also didn't make sense; if Josephine was blackmailing the murderer, and he responded by telling her he would tell the truth about their long-ago affair, why would she kill herself? All she had to do was agree that things should just be kept the way they were - she wouldn't expect him to allow her to win unfairly, and he wouldn't tell anyone about the affair. Also, if she was going to kill herself with licorice extract, how did she get Bailey's? Clara said no one entered the shop but her extra extract was missing - it would have been easier to use her own than steal someone else's. Wouldn't Clara notice if Josephine walked into her store and lifted the extract?

There were also things said about the Amish that didn't seem believable to me.  They are treated as gossip mongers and people who have a hatred of outsiders (they keep to themselves and don't usually 'hang around' Englishers), and think the worst of everyone (except Bailey's grandmother).  Unless the Ohio Amish are different from the Pennsylvania Amish, I believe this is giving people a false view; no, they're not perfect, but they are God-fearing, and would consider anything against the Bible (as in treating people how you want to be treated) as evil.

I also don't see why Bailey was even wondering why she didn't win everything; Emily did all the work.  All Bailey did was help pour or stretch taffy.  She was never at her booth because she was off investigating (like she couldn't have done that after the competition had ended for the day).  Obviously she didn't take it seriously.

Plus I didn't understand why Bailey had to buy a clunker of a car.  She was first in line to be head chocolatier, was she not?.  What happened to all her money?  Was she being paid in chocolate?  She must have lived somewhere yet no mention is made of her giving up her apartment/condo or selling her furniture (maybe buy a decent car?).  Did she just abandon everything when she moved back to Ohio?  Did she waste her paycheck partying or shopping?  Again, I have a hard time believing she was in such a "high-powered job" and didn't make enough money to have a healthy savings account.  There's no way she should be so broke she can't afford a good vehicle.  Just because she made the choice to return home shouldn't translate to:  'I have to go back and care for my grandmother.  Unfortunately, when I make the move I'll have to abandon my bank account and have to start from scratch'.  (Honestly, I'm getting really tired of all these protagonists with 'high-powered jobs' returning home and not having any savings.  What are they doing?  Partying all night and paying the bill for all of their friends?)

Since there was a preview of the next book, here's a clue for the author:  The Amish don't like their picture taken.  They would never allow anyone to film them (these are not teenagers who have not been baptized into the faith, these are full-blown Amish).  The Amish hold humility as a highly-cherished value and view pride as a threat to community harmony.  Because photographs can call attention to one's self, they are prohibited at home.  Moreover, the Amish believe that photographs in which they can be recognized violate the Biblical commandment, "Thou shalt not make unto thyself a graven image."  They want to be remembered by the lives they lived and the examples they left, not by physical appearance; so they wouldn't allow anyone to come in and film them for a reality show (Amish teens on rumspringa are very different than the Amish community.  A film crew in the candy store would not have been allowed).  But then again, I've only been around the Lancaster Amish - maybe the Ohio Amish are different.

I realize this is a work of fiction, but I've always believed in the rule that unless it's sci-fi or fantasy, if it wouldn't happen in real life, it shouldn't happen in a book.  I would have liked to have rated it higher, but I honestly couldn't do so. 

https://www.amazon.com/Lethal-Licorice-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496706412/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2420782488

More on Amanda Flower's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/

Assaulted Caramel (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #1)

Author:  Amanda Flower
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496706393; 9781541468368
Kensington Publishing (Tantor Audio_
352 Pages
$7.99; $24.99; $4.99 Amazon
August 29, 2017

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Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City.  But just when Bailey's up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather's heart condition has worsened.  Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights.

She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared.  Unfortunately, the same can't be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen - with Jebediah King's chocolate knife buried in his chest.  Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect.  Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah.  But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble...

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When Bailey King is called by her grandmother to say her grandfather is very ill, she rushes back to them in Ohio.  But when she arrives she sees her grandfather arguing with a man and he falls to the sidewalk.  She rushes to help him and he is pleasantly surprised to see her there.

But the next morning when she can't sleep, she goes down to the candy shop where they have electrical outlets to see if there are any messages on her phone, and she steps in something sticky.  When she turns on the lights, she sees that it is blood, and the man she saw arguing with her father is lying in it, with a knife in his chest.

When the police arrive, they know that her grandfather couldn't have committed the crime due to his health, but they immediately suspect Bailey of it.  She knows she's the main suspect, and when she's ordered not to go back to New York - where an almost-certain promotion awaits her - she knows she has to find a killer since it's certain the police aren't looking anywhere else except in her direction...

I was hoping from the title that this would be a mystery set around the Amish.  But it’s not.  Most of the people are Englisch, so you have to wonder how many Amish actually live in this town, or why so many Englisch people live there instead.  My husband grew up in Pennsylvania, and I’ve visited many Amish towns and they pretty much keep to themselves.

I would have liked to enjoy this book more, but when I met the sheriff, it pretty much killed it for me.  He wants to pin a murder on Bailey because she's new to the village; but it's insane to say that she killed a complete stranger because she saw him arguing with her grandfather.

As to the 'incident' that occurred three years prior, that's like saying if someone breaks into your home and you defend yourself you have a history of violence.  One-time circumstances do not make you a violent person.  I was truly hoping the sheriff wouldn’t be a stereotype as in other books of this sort, but I was wrong.  He hates Bailey and accuses her, telling her he knows she’s guilty; there is nothing redeeming about him, and I can't see reading other books where he is a character.  Especially since he tells her he has more right to be in the county than the Amish since he's the sheriff.  Then Aiden tells her that the sheriff is toying with her until he gets tired of it and arrests her.  Say what?  She's just part of game to him until he gets bored with it?  Then it's said that he doesn't care about the Amish.  He's a horrible person and should be a sheriff anywhere!

But I found that most of the characters were unlikable, especially Cass, who has 'I'm from New York so I'm better than you' attitude and seems to look down on the people in Harvest as not being good enough to be in her company; she even disparaged the rental car as not being good enough.  I couldn't wait for her to leave, and Bailey's better off without someone like that in her life.

Plus, an Amish theme park? Really? Who in their right mind would think it was a good idea - and better yet, who in their right mind would go? "Hey, honey, grab the kids! We're going to Amishland!" What kind of rides would they have? Buggy rollercoasters? Baling your own hay? I also didn't like the fact that the author killed off her grandfather after he'd been in the entire book. He was one of the few likable characters they were; the plot and ending could have been carried on in exactly the same manner without it. Not to mention that an Amish shopkeeper would not cheat on their taxes. A man is head of the household, and when she turned in the store's receipts, he would know how much product is being sold and what the total should be. They consider crime of any kind to be "devil's work" and these are God-fearing people. They file taxes as a group and not individually so the head of household would notice discrepancies. Also, keeping Emily's pregnancy secret doesn't make sense. She's of marriagable age, so people would wonder why she isn't wed. She would be shunned by other members of the community if they found out.

The ending was a bit of a letdown, and there was no reason given why the killer murdered Tyson, so it didn't make any sense.  The sheriff said that Bailey had a motive, but why wasn't there one given for the actual murderer?  In fact, it felt as if everything going on was left hanging without resolutions anywhere, except for the fact that we knew all along Bailey would stay, so there's no spoiler there.  I will read the second in the series, but if it doesn't improve then I'm finished with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Assaulted-Caramel-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496706390/

Goodreads:

More on Amanda Flower's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/